OPI Live and Let Die is the 3rd mini nail polish I have to show you from the OPI Skyfall Collection.
It was marketed as being an ‘almost black’ shade, haha, and if you’ve been reading my reviews for a little while, you’ll know that I’m not the biggest fan of near blacks. Usually if I want something very dark, I’ll just reach for a straight-up black.
However, in the bottle, Live and Let Die looked really interesting, and I gave this one a shot.
So did I end up eating my words (Mmm…chewy!), or did I stand by my stubborn approach to near-black lacquers?
OPI Live and Let Die Pictures
Natural Light
Flash
Natural Light
OPI Live and Let Die Ingredients
OPI The Bondettes Mini Nail Lacquer Set Picture
OPI Live and Let Die Swatches
All swatches have:
- CND Stickey Anchoring Base Coat
- 2 coats of OPI Live and Let Die
- Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
Natural Light Photos
Flash Photos
Claim: TRUSTED
√ Almost black shade
Key Notes
- Name: OPI Live and Let Die
- Collection: OPI Skyfall Collection 2012
- Press Release of OPI The Bondettes Mini Nail Lacquer Set: Click here
- Colours Available in the OPI Skyfall Collection: GoldenEye, Skyfall, The Spy Who Loved Me, Casino Royale, You Only Live Twice, Die Another Day, Live and Let Die, Tomorrow Never Dies, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, The Living Daylights, Moonraker & The World Is Not Enough
- Amount: 3.75 mL (1/8 fl. oz.) – I have the mini bottle from the OPI The Bondettes Mini Nail Lacquer Set
- What I Paid: Nothing! (This was provided by PR.)
- Where to Buy: Trade Secrets & select spas, salons & beauty-supply stores
OPI Live and Let Die Review
Colour
When I saw Live and Let Die by OPI in the bottle, I was intrigued because it was a dark teal with small gold flakes.
But this polish was disappointing because, on the nail, the gold flakes get overwhelmed by the teal. They don’t shine through as much as you’d expect by just looking at the bottle.
The teal is very dark that it certainly lives up to the ‘almost black’ claim. While it’s not my favourite, if you’re a fan of near blacks, you may dig it with a polished shovel.
Finish
Live and Let Die by OPI has a creme finish with small gold flakes. The polish is pretty smooth and not gritty.
Application & Formula
One thing I loved about this polish was that with even one coat, it covered so well – practically a one coater. However, for perfect opacity, I suggest that you use two coats to even everything out.
The polish was easy to control – not too thick and not too thin or watery.
Pros
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Cons
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Final Verdict: 6.5/10
There’s nothing terribly wrong with Live and Let Die by OPI, however, it was a bit of a let-down because in the bottle, it looked like it had so much potential. When I wore it, it fell a bit flat. And I’m biased because most near-black shades don’t usually make my heart race to begin with.
Is this polish on your To-Buy List, or will you be passing? Since the Skyfall Collection is based on James Bond, I have to ask you: Which actor do you think played James Bond the best?
I’m not a huge near black fan either. I always find myself wishing they had just a bit more color! As for James Bond…. Sean Connery all the way!
Hey Rebecca!
Hehehe, is it his voice that you like the most? 😉 I know lots of women who swoon over his voice, but for some reason, I always get a mental picture of his mouth being full of marbles when he speaks. Hehe!
I think I might give this one a miss. I was hoping that the sparkles would really show, but they don’t and that’s too bad.
So far, it’s GoldenEye and possibly The Spy Who Loved Me on my wish list. Need to made a trip to Trade Secrets!
My favourite Bond will always be Pierce Brosnan. I loved his portrayal: suave, sexy, hard, nasty when he had to be, and dispassionately cold towards anything but his job. My husband is a Bond traditionalist and loves Sean Connery and only Sean Connery. We have fun debating who was the better Bond. 🙂
Now, my favourite Bond girl would have to be Michelle Yeoh. She kicked ass and was Bond’s equal instead of his plaything and I loved that.
Hey Gwen!
The good news is that you can save your money for other polishes that are more to your liking. I really think Live and Let Die could’ve been a real winner if only the glitter would show up more. Oh well…it’s not bad, just not the masterpiece it could’ve been.
Rawr…Pierce Brosnan! 😉 What a hottie, and he also looks like such a gentleman.
Good point about Michell Yeoh. I really like it when a woman can kick ass, but be more an equal. I’m so tired of the female superheroes who are sexualized. There’s nothing wrong with being sexual, but it’s nice to know that women don’t HAVE TO be sexy to kick ass in a movie.
This one is actually at the tippy top of my Skyfall wishlist, I LOVE shades like this. It looks gorgeous on you, bummer you don’t like it too much!
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Hey Jacqui!
I love how there’s a polish for everyone. 🙂 Variety is the spice of life as they say. And it would be awful if we all only liked the same polishes. Haha, imagine how hard it would be to track down colours in a world like that. Crazy town! 😛
I am with you on this one – some photos can make it look extraordinary but those are not taken in lighting we will see it in ever. I did not pick this one up for the same reason as you – I have a lot of near blacks – teals, blues, reds, browns and so on. I did not think I needed another. Glad you wrote this. I think there is far too much hype over this shade being something it’s not. It’s suffering from what a lot of Essies do – that look is interesting in the bottle – but does not translate to the nail.
Guess I was supposed to comment on my fav Bond? Not seeing that in your blog but responders are doing that – so I am in a toss up here. I love Sean. I had a huge crush on Pierce but think he got some really horrible transition Bond flicks to do. The franchise needed something when he finally got to play Bond – he would have been so much better off to have gotten out of his TV show contract and hopped on Bond roles earlier. But now…ya know, I am loving Craig as an actor. Love him in a whole # of roles other than Bond – but he goes into a new side for Bond – and come on – coming into the Olympics this summer via parachute with QEII!!! That was fab (even if they switched to stunt dbls for the ‘fall’).
Oh, at the very bottom of my blog post, one of the questions I asked readers which actor was their favourite to play James Bond. 🙂
Hehe, yes, I also have had a huge crush on Pierce Brosnan since I first laid eyes on him. He’s a suave gentleman – very charming personality and looks.
Hey beachgal!
Oh, I didn’t even know that there was hype over this colour! That’s really surprising because this definitely didn’t have the Wow Factor that GoldenEye did. In the bottle, yes, I swooned over Live and Let Die, but when I painted my first nail, I was a bit crestfallen. However, the pigmentation on this is awesome – I’ll give it that! 🙂
The “near black” is most definitely a pro for me, especially since it’s green! This one is easily my favorite in the collection. I haven’t decided if I’ll treat myself to a bottle or not, since I already have blacks with teal shimmer that look similar.
Hey Angie!
Well, that’s nice to hear how you like this polish. 🙂 Just goes to show you that there’s something for every nailphile. And, good thing, too. Imagine how hard it would be to get hold of a shade if we ALL liked exactly the same shades? (What a scary thought! :P)
Ehhhhhh I agree with you. It kind of does fall flat. It reminds me a bit of China Graze Smoke and Ashes.
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I was thinking the same thing, Kas. The glitter hid on the nail for S&A too …
I think some people said that Smoke & Ashes was similar to Cult Nails Living Water. I wonder how they compare. I’ve seen them swatched online, but sometimes you need to really see it in person, side-by-side to judge the minute differences.
Hey Kas!
It’s really too bad because it had so much potential in the bottle. Hmm…I never bought Smoke and Ashes, but yes, I heard people talking about it online. Some people raved about it, but others said that the sparkle didn’t come through like the way it looks in the bottle.
Too bad it doesn’t translate on the nails as expected. It does look much lighter in the bottle and the gold seems more prominent. It’s still a pretty shade, though
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Hey Catherine!
Yeah…*sniff sniff*…When I saw the bottle and noticed the rich gold, I thought, “This is going to be incredible!” But then I painted my first nail and was missing the gold. I thought that maybe it’d come out with more coats, but it never did. The gold was always subdued. This is probably good for someone who doesn’t really want the flashiness of the gold, but for me, the flashier, the better. 😉
Hmmmm, I’m not sure about this one. It looks really pretty in the bottle, but like you said all the gold shimmery flakes are lost on the nail. I love dark polishes and near black colors, but I hate it when what you see in the bottle doesnt transfer on the nails. I think that trumps the fact that its a nice dark color. I’ll give this one a pass.
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Hey Frosso!
I’ll be admiring this polish in the bottle. It’s truly beautiful, but I felt like coaxing the gold to come out: “It’s okay…We won’t harm you. We’re your friends! Come show us your true colours!” But then I stopped talking to my nail polish because it just ignored me. SNOB! 😛
This is such a beautiful colour! Looks great on you.
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Hey Viktorija!
Thank you so much! 😀 Out of the 4 OPI Skyfall colours I’ve tried so far, I still like GoldenEye the best. That one has the Wow Factor!